The gospel on celebrity and pop culture

After existing in an almost zombie-like state of stubborn death defiance, Kate Gosselin has been axed from "Dancing With the Stars."

Her participation was a originally seen as a great chance to burnish her image; after all, when Mario Lopez did "DWTS" several years ago, it relaunched his career as an adorable hunk. For Gosselin’s part, she even tried turning up the sympathy factor by saying, in interview after interview, that she was doing the show solely to earn money for her kids.

But instead of working in her favor, Gosselin’s entire "DWTS" stint backfired -- and badly. Viewers loathed Gosselin’s dancing style -- which came closer to creeping about like a leery house cat -- and her attitude; much hay has been made about Gosselin’s berating of her pro, Tony Dovolani, during rehearsals. As for Gosselin’s insistence that her kids were her focus, the statements came off as little more than ham-handed spin.

"Gosselin has been her own distinctive brand of terrible," media critic Tom Maurstad recently said in the Dallas Morning News. “She doesn't just lose track of the beat and forget steps, she appears alternately stricken and angry. ... Gosselin has become the Sarah Palin of 'Dancing.'"

And on a recent trip to Disneyland, where the Gosselin brood was given VIP treatment ...

... fellow visitors made their disapproval of her very clear, according to a report by Radar.

"A lot of people were saying, 'Who does she think she is?' and were booing her,” a source told the gossip site.

Ouch.

It’s not a great sign for someone who has a brand new show coming up and needs all the audience she can get. Which leads us to our poll.